Another 3,000 or so employees are expected to get their pink slips by the end of the year. This may motivate remaining employees to work harder. But the looming uncertainty will dampen morale, offsetting the exuberance and optimism about Microsoft’s future that Chief Executive SatyaNadella radiates in his public speeches.

A picture I took yesterday of an Amazon headquarters building under construction in Seattle.

Stepping back, the layoff affects less than 2 percent of Microsoft employees. The company also is particularly generous with severance and insurance coverage for laid-off workers. Overall I still think the Seattle area has dodged a bullet.

Yet losing even 747 Microsoft jobs has an outsized effect. As the company likes to say in better times, each of its employees generates up to 7 additional jobs in the regional economy.

Whether you believe that or not, losing 747 jobs is the equivalent of a midsize software company — like Zillow — abruptly shutting down.

It’s rarely easy to find another job. But if you are looking for work at another software company, Seattle in mid-2014 is one of the best places in the world.

A quick check at LinkedIn found 3,030 job listings at software companies within a 50-mile radius of Seattle. That’s only a partial view of what’s available but it gives you a sense of the opportunity. (There are also lots of desks available at the University of Washington’s new Startup Hall.)

Oddly, 1,222 of those LinkedIn listings are at Microsoft. But some of them show how the company is evolving. For instance, it now has a hardware manufacturing team that’s looking for a “sealant/coating technology director” who will lead the selection of coatings and finishes for devices it builds.

Other things don’t change so much. Google has dozens of open jobs listed at its Seattle and Kirkland offices, including one for a Kirkland-based massage therapist supervisor — a chief massage officer? — to lead its team of masseuses and “create an experience that exceeds the expectations of our employees.”

Apparently the local tech industry remains pretty healthy, despite the terrible news for Microsoft employees affected by the layoffs.

Brier Dudley offers a critical look at technology and business issues affecting the Northwest. Send tips or comments to bdudley@seattletimes.com. His column runs Monday, and his commentary appears here all week.